Today in Soap Opera History (October 3)

1995: Another World's Ryan Harrison died.
2001: As the World Turns' Molly and Jake married.
2003: The final episode of Port Charles aired on ABC.
2005: Passions' Alistair married Theresa.

"More and more, I tend to read history. I often find it more up to date than the daily newspapers."
― Joe Murray

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1977:Murder in Peyton Place aired on NBC Monday Night at the Movies. The film focused on the mysterious killings of Rodney Harrington and Allison MacKenzie (Ryan O'Neal and Mia Farrow in the original series) as part of a diabolical plot to tear the community apart by a former resident, now powerful and wealthy, who had secretly returned seeking revenge.

1979: On As the World Turns, Mary (Kelly Wood) turned down Don's (Conard Fowkes) dinner invitation. While out shopping, Nancy (Helen Wagner) stopped by Chris's (Don MacLaughlin) office to get the two blank checks he always kept in his pocket. At the bookstore, Valerie (Judith McConnell) invited Betsy (Suzanne Davidson) out to the farm to spend the night with her and Kate (Rachael Kelly).

1979: On The Edge of Night, April (Terry Davis) found out she was pregnant, after she came to at Monticello General Hospital.

1995: The O.J. Simpson murder trial ended with a not guilty verdict.

1995: On Another World, Ryan (Paul Michael Valley) died in his hospital bed.

2001: On As the World Turns, Jake (Tom Eplin) and Molly (Lesli Kay) were married.

2003: The final episode General Hospital spin-off Port Charles aired on ABC.

2005: On Passions, just about everyone objected at Theresa's (Lindsay Hartley) wedding to Alistair (John Reilly) but they were married anyway.

2004:Desperate Housewives premiered on ABC with an audience of 21.6 million viewers.

2011:Hollyoaks released its memorable "Black Wedding" promo as build-up to the upcoming marriage of Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Riley Costello (Rob Norbury). Set to the music of Billy Idol's sinister "White Wedding," this highly-stylized, artistic trailer was meant to convey the dark, foreboding mood surrounding the event, which was rife with lies, deceit, and even blackmail. Would the very pregnant Mercedes finally cave and confess to Riley that she'd had an affair with his own father, Carl (Paul Opacic), who was serving as his son's best man - or - would she go through with the ceremony ever-fearful that one of the villagers who knew her secret might stand up and tell all? The 45-second video, which was said to have taken 15 hours to film, was directed by Alex Boutell, photographed by Chris Sabogal. and edited by Kel McKeown (host of this1080p HD version at YouTube). And yes, according to Metcalfe, that really was black paint they put in her eye for the final teardrop shot - having joked at the time that it nearly "killed" her!